2. Goals
• My goals throughout this class have remained the same: to
create a zero waste, high energy capture site that can support
multiple species of plants and animals for both personal and
commercial purposes.
• My goals also include to use recycled materials wherever
possible versus commercial out of the box solutions, to find
alternative construction methods and/or material and overall
to think outside the box for the overall site implementation
• I want to achieve both personal satisfaction and profitability
from my site
3. Site Analysis
Challenges:
• Site is very flat making collecting as much rain water as possible
difficult. The existing ditches are all owned by the city and cannot be
modified. The existing naturally occurring stream is also not allowed
the be re routed.
• The site is also battered by wind from multiple directions in equal
measure making site design of barn difficult. This is because
avoiding wind tunnels is important in the barn design while allowing
ventilation at the same time.
• A challenge I have not discussed is that the site is currently farmed.
While it is great the soil is fertile and purposeful it also means that
when we take possession only a final til will be done. There will be
lots of land leveling and to be able to build and plant grass needed
which equates to a lot of additional work in site prep.
4. Strengths
• The site has enough acres to make any vision possible
• The site is flat allowing for easier leveling and site prep even if
it is additional work
• The site has ample rainfall to water all the land for irrigation
purposes of the pastures and trees
• The site will also have ample buildings in order to collect more
rainwater for repurpose during dry spells
• The soil on site is proven to be fertile and pliable making it
ideal to start our homestead especially from a crop point of
view
• The zoning by laws allow for implementation of desired uses
for the land
5. Permaculture Principles
Catch and store energy
• This site design is drawing heavily on our ability to implement
energy capture.
• We are considering implementing both wind and solar energy in
order to be able to power the property completely off the grid if
necessary
• Water capture is also vey high on our list of desirable implements.
We intend to capture he water from every roof spout possible and
store for later use as well as economical water usage (Bane, pg 171).
Grey water use (Bane, pg 83) is also included her and how we can
reroute for use
Our ability to harness what is already naturally occurring will be a
defining principle that guides us from site planning through
implementation. Finding suppliers who are willing to go against
tradition or ‘what is easy’ will be both challenging and rewarding at
the same time.
6. Permaculture Principles
Produce No Waste
• Waste shall be collected from every aspect of the sight and used to
revitalize or feed another aspect
• The only area of waste we are not certain we can implement right
away is getting rid of the septic tank system in place of a septic
pond/field system. This is something we are looking into
• I am still happy with the idea of re using all of the animal waste for
soil enrichment and to use excess crop yield in order to supplement
nutrition of the commercial goat enterprise
• One area were I really learned something in this course was using
Mulberry Trees in order to provider fodder for the goats.
Having both functional and useful trees/shrubs was a main principle I
wanted to abide by in my design. By designing using trees/shrubs that
are able to have a dual purpose I believe I am helping to promote this
principle even further.
7. Permaculture Principles
Multiple Functions
• Drawing off what I learned with make no waste, it also draws on the use of multiple
functions
Examples of multi functions
• The arena can also function as indoor housing in the winter during bad storms
• Certain root digging vegetables can help aerate the soil and provide nutrients as they
decompose
• Manure acts as fertilizer
• Spent garden beds and eggs shells provide extra feed for the chickens
• The house and all structures act as water capture vehicles
• The crops that will be grown will not only feed the humans but also the animals on site
• The dairy goat will provide milk that will be used for cooking, nutrient supplement for any
orphaned animals and can also make great soaps for people and animals alike.
Each aspect of our homestead having multiple purposes is important to me
and will be exercised in each phase of our site planning and design as well as
the business plan for profitability. Having these overlapping areas sometimes
presents a challenge in allocating the accounting numbers to a particular area,
but it is a challenge I happily accept to have a highly functioning, efficient and
sustainable homestead.
8. Crop Planning
• Nut trees – Walnut, Hazelnut and Pecan
• Fruit Trees – Apple, Pear, Cherry Plum
• Berry Bushes – Raspberry, Blueberry, Blackberry, Haskap
• Vegetables – Bell Peppers, Onion, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots,
Green Beans, Chives, Leeks, Pumpkin, Squashes, Cucumber, Corn,
Zucchini, Eggplant , Paprika and Chilies
• Fruits – Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Kiwi and Tomatoes
• Herbs – Thyme, Oregano, Basel, Rosemary
I have chosen all of the above as there are varieties developed
specifically to grow in the harsh climate and still bear a full harvest.
Other complimentary crops might be added to supplement nutrition
or aid in aeration of the soil if needed, but the above is what will be
able to sustain our family and will be able to be sustained on our land.
9. Nutrient Cycling
• As with the principles of ‘make no waste’ and ‘multiple functions’,
nutrient cycling is about connectedness to each element and using
the by products from one in order to enrich the other.
• We intend on using the manure by products from the animals to
enrich the soil of the pastures and encourage maximum grass
growth during the next season.
• Another group of manure form the animals will also be mixed with
the used straw and other various green throw aways to create a
nutrient rich compost material that will sustain the garden beds
• Worms will be used to assist where needed and also provide
nutrients to the chickens
• Leaf litter from trees will also be used and have a purpose
With keeping to the same principles everything will have multiple uses
and where possible one byproduct will feed another. This is important
for not only managing costs associated with any waste, but also for
creating a sustainable environment.
11. Site Plan Design Evolution
Scale 1/1000 or 1cm = 10 meters blow up of Homestead Site
12. Site Plan Design Evolution
Scale 1/1000 or 1cm = 10 meters blow up of Homestead Site
13. Integration and Connection
• Whether we are talking about one principle or another the main theme is
my design has always been the need for connection. My goal has been for
one element to feed another an vice versa. Managing these relationships in
a sustainable way has been the challenge. How much of one element is too
much for another or how much is just the right compliment?
• During the crop yield analysis design I found it very useful to estimate our
consumption of various crops and to see if our estimates matched up in
relation to other crops we listed for the given period. During that time we
also had divided up our estimates by season since we try to eat seasonally
available produce as much as possible. This enabled us to see the peaks and
valleys in our consumption and better plan for storage and preservation
needs.
• Social connections are also very important for us. From day 1 of our design I
have said that gathering spaces definitely had a place on our homestead.
This symbol of family and friends, of togetherness and community, helps
shape our thoughts daily on the homestead. And, while the design to this
point has focused heavily on the main structural elements needed this does
not mean we are neglecting the social aspects of our site
14. Integration and Connection
• For instance in our business plan we are detailing ways we can
help families save money by becoming involved with us. This
may be as simple as offering free supervision of kids after
horse riding lessons until their parents can pick them up or
free social gathering once per a quarter
• Our homestead will be a place where everyone feels welcome
and everyone will have a place. Should a client want to help
out in the garden we will gladly exchange the work for free
produce
• We want to focus heavily on the social aspect of our design
during the next phase and hope to integrate the people aspect
as seamlessly as we have been able to implement the
functional and structural aspects
15. Conclusion
• In conclusion, this course has been invaluable at starting the frank
examination of our needs, wants, capabilities (Bane, pg 37) and
sustainability.
• It will enable us to move forward with an overall draft design that uses
function, efficiency, practicality and aesthetics all rolled into one.
• It has allowed us to examine each element in turn and how it can effect
another element
• It has taught me how to compare the two elements to find the right
balance that will not only allow both to sustain each other, but to thrive
• I am looking forward to the next steps which will involve; creation of a
master site plan, gathering bids for various structures and work and
creating a business plan. These next steps will determine the phases of
the project and road to profitability as well as sustainability.
• Should we be successful I know this course will have been one of the
foundation blocks to its success!
Thank you, Kasey Marshall
